Quick Quips 3
This Quick Quips is brought to you by the Hip-Hop/Rap/Tirade/Etc. genres, in all their glory. Maybe the next one will be a different genre.
For me, silently did Denzel drop this single. It completely crept up on me as I was still incredibly hyped for $uicideboy$’ Long Term Effects of SUFFERING. (keep your eyes peeled, blog soon.) In any case, the single was pleasantly surprising, for about half a second. Then I asked, “Denzel, what is this shit?” but now, I consider it a pearl of a track in a sea of flotsam.
I would feel fine in admitting that the beat on this track is pretty simple, but simple works. Denzel’s vocals/melody brings it together, and besides, I think that its simplicity is poetic in the sense the, really, this whole song is nothing but simple. The truths he speaks and the things he observes are all simple, if you aren’t disillusioning yourself to the whole affair. And, in the end, I find it very inspiring how honest Denzel can be with himself, and with everybody else. It’s an image to strive for.
Lyrically, Denzel hasn’t disappointed me often, and this track is no exception.
The song is hard hitting from the first verse, and each line is another layer of raw truth. Denzel spits a lot of facts, but here’s the most thought provoking/agreeable/bold, in my opinion.
”Before you judge, do your research, nigga, we hurt.”
I like this line not only for it’s blatant, “stop talking shit, or get hit” vibe, but also very much think that “we hurt” is a line that doubles as “I myself hurt, from losses I’ve taken, don’t judge the trauma.”
“Before I even think about us, I think of me first.
The street had only brought me ether and random outburst
I told the hood that I'ma come back, just get me out first
And niggas quick to call me sellout when I'm on the outskirts
Want to know how I got there? I put in hard work
I know you wanna get this money, you gotta be smart first
Pay attention, write this shit down, and repeat my verse
I don’t fuck with people that ain’t on the same time,
too lazy to wanna make dimes, they wanna take mine.”
Self explanatory, but this is the mindset to have to keep yourself motivated on the way up, and Denzel doesn’t care that he’s got to defend himself. He knows what he’s doing, what he’s got to do, and knows not to take ignorance’s shit.
“Doin all this industry shit, I start to realize
We lookin up to junkies n’ shit, then mimic they lives”
Young people are very impressionable, and there are a lot of young, up and coming rappers that are changing for the worse. The effects of this reflected in lyrics, the lyrics felt by so many other young people now turning to these bad habits themselves. Not necessarily their fault, I think it’s important the wording that Denzel used, focusing at the industry, saying “we”, because, honestly, it is all of us, to some extent.
Another gold star for one of our beloved conscious rappers.
”You don’t gotta brag or dress up when all your shit flame,
Sabotaging other black men, bruh, all that shit lame
I got love for Megan but also got love for NoName
And I won’t stop speakin to y’all until I change…”
Pretty self explanatory, Denzel makes commentary on how if your work is good, you don’t have to prove yourself to anybody, and you don’t have to put hate back out, simply because you think you’re better. Love shouldn’t be conditional. The last line is perfectly shameless, relentless, and all inspiring.
But, overall, 8.5-9/10. Solid, solid track.
And that’s it. Thanks for watching, have a wonderful weekend!